“It’s frustrating to lose to a team that plays like that.” Seoul and Gwangju, two teams that have created another story in the K League, will meet for the third time this season.
FC Seoul and Gwangju will face off in the 30th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The two teams are currently sitting in third and fourth place in the standings after comfortably winning Round 29, the last game before the A-Match break.
Seoul and Gwangju have been playing some of the most exciting soccer in K League 1 this season. Seoul have turned things around somewhat under acting head coach Kim Jin-gyu following the resignation of Ahn Ik-soo, and have scored 51 goals in K League 1 this season, good for second place behind leaders Ulsan Hyundai.카지노
Gwangju’s Lee Jung-hyo is another coach with real colors. He took over the reins of Gwangju ahead of last season and played a style of soccer driven by strong forward pressing and quick offensive transitions, eventually winning the K League 2 title in a landslide and earning promotion to the K League 1. Since then, Gwangju has continued to show its colors in the top tier, and is now looking beyond its top goal of staying up and into the Final A. The team has created a new story.
They’ve also created a new story. The two teams met in the second round on March 5, with Seoul coming away with a 2-0 victory in Gwangju. Gwangju showed their colors in the first half, but Ahn Ik-soo’s side made quick changes in the second half to regain control and, with the sending-off of Um Ji-sung, were able to take advantage of their numerical advantage to secure the win.
Seoul got the ‘result’ despite the lack of quality, while Gwangju showed the process but not the result. At this point, Lee Jung-hyo’s press conference remarks became controversial. After the game, Lee said, “I’m honestly more upset than disappointed. I’m upset that we lost to a team that plays soccer like that,” he said.
At the end of the press conference, Lee said, “I hope there is no misunderstanding. I don’t think Seoul’s soccer or Ahn Ik-soo’s soccer is bad. I have to take responsibility for the result,” he said, adding that he hoped there was no misunderstanding, but the water had already been spilled. After the game, Seoul fans were outraged, and Seoul players such as Kim Sang-hyeop and Park Dong-jin also spoke out, saying, “Professionals should speak in terms of results.”
The second matchup was also won by Seoul. At the time, Lee Jung-hyo made tactical changes to try to win against Seoul, but the team lost 1-3 and admitted that they lost both the game and the result. Since then, Lee has been preparing for the trip to Seoul with a sense of urgency.
The mood is good in Gwangju. The team has been unbeaten in their last nine matches, with Lee’s leadership leading the way. In particular, Lee Soon-min, who was called up to the national team for the first time in his career and made his A-match debut, has been the lifeblood of Gwangju, moving between midfield and defense, and is considered a key part of Lee’s tactics.
But there is a twist. Jung Ho-yeon, a key midfield player, has been called up for the Asian Games, while Kim Han-gil is unavailable due to an accumulation of cautions. Add to that the uncertainty of Timo and Aaron’s return from injury, and the gaps in the squad are concerning.
Seoul, on the other hand, have turned things around somewhat with Kim Jin-gyu on the bench. Kim has boldly used the likes of Ilyuchenko, Go Yo-han, Choi Chul-won, Ji Dong-won, and Han Seung-gyu, who have not received much playing time in the past, with positive results of one win and one draw in the last two matches. Especially after the departure of Hwang Eui-jo, the team has been struggling up front, but it’s positive that Ilyuchenko has found the back of the net for the second straight game.
The head-to-head record is 15 wins, four draws, and two losses in Seoul’s favor, with the previous two games this season also won by the capital. Gwangju hasn’t won against Seoul since 2017, and given that a win could mean a big difference in the standings, both teams will be motivated. Who will emerge victorious in the third meeting between these two storybook teams?